Sixty Beats Per Minute

Chapter 12

Alya and Marinette took their seats on the bench, watching the boys race around the rink. So far, Nino was in the lead. But Adrien wasn't far behind, however. The two of them glided past all the skaters with blistering speed, their hair blowing behind them. They got cursed and yelled at by a couple people they almost ran into during their little race, but they were too busy to care.

"I'll never be able to skate that fast," Marinette laughed, "I would definitely fall"

"Nino always beat me whenever we raced," Alya said, "I'm nowhere near as fast as he is. It's impressive how Adrien can keep up with him"

On the rink, Nino slowed down slightly from exhaustion. Upon seeing this, Adrien managed to pick up his speed and dashed right past him.

"Looks like I'm faster now!" Adrien shouted over his shoulder.

"Not for long!" Nino yelled back.

Nino picked up his speed again, but Adrien only accelerated. Marinette smiled at how competitive they were.

"And Adrien said he isn't very good at skating"

Alya laughed, "He always says that, even about his piano skills"

"Well, now I know not to believe him when he says he's not good at something"

Both of the girls burst out laughing.

"By the way," Alya stopped mid-laugh, "Are you ever going to tell him?"

Marinette stopped laughing. Her smile faded almost immediately at the sound of her question. She knew exactly what Alya was talking about.

"I'll have to one day," she sighed, "But I don't know how. I'm scared to see his reaction.

"After all," Marinette continued, "I saw the timer on his wrist"

Marinette looked down at her lap, clenching her fists until her knuckles grew as white as a wall.

"Three months left"

Alya's mouth opened upon hearing this. Her lips soon curled downwards into a frown. She knew what that meant, and she did not like it.

"You can tell Nino if you want, but Adrien doesn't know what the timer means," Marinette added, "How am I supposed to tell him that一"

"You have to do it soon," Alya interrupted, "Of course, it's easier said than done, given you don't want him to be hurt again, but..."

Alya sighed, "I'd rather have him know as soon as possible. If you wait too long, it will only hurt him even more"

Marinette nodded in agreement, "If you don't mind, can you do me the favor of telling him一"

"Marinette," Alya cut in, "As much as I'd love to help you, this is something that's better if you do it yourself"

"I know, but," Marinette breathed, "It's so hard to tell him"

"You don't have to do it today or even tomorrow," Alya began, "But you have to do it soon. All I can tell you is that you need to gather up the courage to talk to him"

Marinette nodded, "I'll do it when I'm ready"

"But like I said, don't wait too long," Alya said.

"I know"

Their conversation came to a stop when a huffing Adrien and Nino made their way off the ice. Limping from the weight in their skates, the young adults stepped towards the girls. They sat down tiredly on the bench, huffing to catch their breaths.

"So, who won?" Alya asked.

Adrien shrugged, "It was pretty much a tie"

"Well played, bro," Nino said breathily.